I got a Wii... and love the Wii Fit. Had been Wii-ing each day and even beginning to lose weight. Wiiiiii!

Then, on Monday, I "unlocked" the advanced step aerobics and did about 4 steps up and down and as I lifted my left foot off the board and set it on the floor, I somehow tweaked my foot, it turned funky and I heard a huge CRACK and knew I broke my foot.

I fell to the couch and waited for the pain to subside before chuckling and saying, "No way" and trying to stand on my foot. Pain shot through me so fast I felt like throwing up and nearly passed out.

I fell onto the couch again and stayed there.

I could reach my phone and called Sarah, who immediately left her meeting to come take me to the hospital.

Getting me out to the car was a hefty challenge and I remembered having been pushed out to the car on an office chair after my ankle broke. It worked this time, too! Sarah said that idea was ingenius. Once in the truck, I cried out with every bump, but there was nothing to do but suck it up.

Blessedly, Sarah got a wheelchair at the hospital and she poured me into it before we went into the ER, where we hung out for about an hour before being seen. That was QUICK compared to some of the people who had been waiting for more than four hours.

Once behind the gates, I was given a room, but never even had to get into the bed. They sent me right to x-ray and when Sarah wheeled me down there, I was checked in and went directly into a room to be x-rayed. We looked at each other and waggled our eyebrows at how flippin' quick everything was moving!

When the films were processed (about 3 minutes after the x-rays were taken), I told the tech I wanted to see them and he said to go ahead. I pulled one of the films out and held it up to the light. Sure as shit, there it was... a break - complete and total.

sigh

Back in the ER, a med student came and yacked with me before his supervisor did. They said it was broken, the 5th metatarsal, and I would need to let the swelling go down for a couple of days before seeing the orthopedic doc on Wednesday. I was fitted with yet another boot (I had only been out of the boot for about 5 weeks from the 4th and 5th metatarsal fractures!), given crutches and send home with Norco, a delightful medication for moderate to severe pain. Sarah wheeled me out, a delightful 2 hours after arriving (fast! and everyone we saw was wonderful to us), I climbed into the truck and then, once home, clumbsily crutched my way into the house and onto the couch, where I promptly went to sleep.

We went to my appointment Wednesday morning and my only wonders were if they would keep me in the boot or want to cast me in a plaster cast. I was blind-sided when the PA said I would need surgery. It hadn't even occurred to me! He explained the break was a doozy, the bones very far apart from each other and if I chose not to have surgery, it could take months for the fracture to heal properly, if it healed at all. He showed me where a screw would pull the bones together, said I might need a bone graft as well and said I would heal much quicker and more completely with surgery than without. There was no question in my mind! I was going to have the surgery. A surgeon came in and repeated a lot of what the PA had said and they said I needed to have surgery asap... what was I doing on Friday? I said, "Having surgery?"

We left the office, went to get pre-op blood drawn, have an EKG, register at admissions and finally left the hospital... once again after everyone treated us so kindly. If there is any good in this, it is being reminded that HMOs can give quality care.

So, now that surgery was scheduled for Friday morning, I turned my attention to my clients. I have two wonderful clients due and had to come up with an alternate plan for them since I wouldn't be able to be their midwife at the birth. Sweetly, they both asked if I couldn't just be there and let Donna do everything, but I will be on pain meds and if there was an acute emergency, I wouldn't physically be able to take care of mother or baby properly; my clients deserved to have safe births with a midwife who could give 100%.

It was easy to find the right midwife for my clients and she graciously agreed to taking them on despite being busy with her own clients and family during this holiday season.

It was painful, giving my clients the news. I mean, one is 40 weeks and the other, 38. But there just wasn't another way. I told them both that if there was any way I could go to the births, I would, but I would be relegated to the couch, unable to walk, hold them up physically or go upstairs. They both really want me to be there if at all possible. I want the exact same thing! It is a lesson in non-attachment, letting them go towards my midwife-friend during their oh-so-close births.

But, the beautiful thing about babies is they don't care who is at the other end, they are going to come anyway. And these babies will be born, with or without me. It is our nature to connect with each other, so anything that threatens that connection makes us squirm. I will do my best to ease the transition.

One of the things I want to do is set up Skypewith my clients, including the monitrice clients I need to spend some time with, too. Skype can be a great bridge to see each other until I am able to physically sit in their livingrooms.

So, I will check in as soon as I can after surgery and let you all know how it went. Good and healing thoughts are welcome. I am nervous and am employing every trick I know and use for laboring moms. Who knew how handy Hypnobirthing would be for orthopedic surgery pre-op stress?!

Reader Comments (6)

Cabbage leaves will reduce swelling on your foot. Works in other parts of your body beside engorged breasts.I was 16 years old I broke all my metatarsal bones on my left foot. But a 16 yr old bones heal quickly!

You get better soon, Healing thoughts from New York City !

The silver lining for us is that you will now have time to post everyday and write more about freebirthing. :-)>